Welcome to the Chronological Bible Study Podcast with Nate and Sandra.
This is episode 20 - Job 34-36.
Normally, I do 2 podcasts on the designated reading: a technical podcast with just Nate and a personal discussion with Sandra, but I'm trying something new this week: a hybrid podcast.
The audio is all the personal discussion w Nate and Sandra w Becca as our special guest. The substack is the technical details in support of that discussion.
Instead of 2 posts and 2 audios, it's just 1 technical print post along with the 1 audio post combining the best of both the technical and personal portions.
Despite our change in format, the Bible study process is still the same.
I expect you to read the chapters we'll be going over and making your own notes and analysis.
In just a moment, I'll summarize the reading, one chapter at a time.
Next, I'll highlight some important verses in each chapter, esp those that apply to our chosen topic of Sex and Marriage.
I'll then compare the reading in different translations which will help bring out translational challenges and bring important words to our attention.
We'll get into a bit of a word study using Strong's and other references to dive deeper into the words used and what they mean.
As needed, I have genealogy charts and maps to help make this a little easier.
Lastly, I'll come to some conclusions on each chapter and collate these conclusions with our prior studies to bring the verses on our topic into focus.
As always, your feedback is appreciated.
Job 34 Summary
Vs 1 Elihu is speaking.
Vs 2-4 He's inviting all present to consider his words and choose whether he's speaking rightly or not.
Vs 5-9 Again Elihu quotes Job.
Vs 10 God does no wrong.
Vs 11 God repays man as we deserve.
Vs 12 God is just.
These 3 beliefs form the foundation of the rest of Elihu's speech.
Vs 13-15 God made us.
Vs 16-20 No partiality.
Vs 21-30 God knows man.
Vs 31-33 Punishment fits the sin.
Vs 34-37 Elihu says that Job is guilty of rebellion also by bucking against his punishment rather than yielding to it.
Highlights
v10b “...far be it from God that He should do wickedness, and from the Almighty that He should do wrong.”
God can't sin. Man can.
God is right. Man is wrong.
People make mistakes. God doesn't.
Job's punishment is just.
v21 “For His eyes are on the ways of a man, and He sees all his steps.”
Job's mentioned this before about God but w a different context. Before, Job was mentioning it like God was a threatening taskmaster. Here, Elihu is mentioning it w God as the wise overseer.
v33 “Will He then make repayment to suit you, because you reject it?”
Who gets to decide how someone is punished for their crime: the criminal or the arresting authority?
Parents decide, not children.
The judge decides, not the criminal.
God decides, not us.
Job 34 Alternate Translations & Word Studies
v7 “What man is like Job, who drinketh up scoffing like water,”
OR “Would anyone but Job say such things? He has more thirst for insulting God than for water.”
“drinketh” - H8354 – A primitive root; to imbibe (literally or figuratively).
Imbibe means to drink, to absorb, to take into yourself in great volume or enjoyment.
“scoffing” - H3933 – From H3932; derision, scoffing
H3932 – A primitive root; to deride; by implication (as if imitating a foreigner) to speak unintelligibly
Scoffing can be done by anyone to anyone. It's not inherently referring to God. Elihu's comment is more in reference to how much "scoffing" Job's friends have given Job, but it doesn't seem to phase him in the slightest.
v18 “Is it fit to say to a king, Thou art wicked? and to princes, Ye are ungodly?”
OR “who says to a king, ‘Worthless one,’ and to nobles, ‘Wicked man,’”
OR “God is the one who says to kings, 'You are worthless!' He says to leaders, 'You are evil!' ”
The Hebrew is “to say”, “king”, “worthless”, “to”, “tyrant”, “morally wrong / bad”.
The variance is in who the translators believe is speaking: God or Job or a generic person.
Job has shown contempt for princes and kings before in Job 29:9,10, so if the question is "Would Job say such things to kings and princes?" The answer might well be "Yes, Job would." Some kings and princes need a person to tell them the truth they don't want to hear rather than be surrounded by nothing but psychophants.
If it's generic "everyone", then "no" most people would not say such things to a king or prince out of fear of their anger or revenge.
Yet, if the context of the verse is God's fairness in the ways of justice (v17). Even kings and princes are under God's judgement (v 18) as He's no respecter of persons (v19).
Job 34 Conclusions
Elihu is discussing God's character.
Job said that he has done no wrong, BUT...
God does what it right; He's always just.
God knows what we do that's wrong.
God does not show partiality.
God will decide when the punishment is over.
Job is adding rebellion against God's punishment onto his original sin of pride.
Job 35 Summary
Elihu (Part 4)
Vs 1 Again, Elihu is speaking
Vs 2,3 Again, Job said
Vs 4-7 What does God gets from our sin or righteousness?
Vs 8 Sin affects you.
Vs 9-11 Sin affects others.
Vs 12 Pride stops God
Vs 13,14 Empty cries
vs 15,16 God's merciful delay in punishing everyone causes Job to believe wrongly.
Highlights
v6a “If you have sinned, what do you accomplish against him?...”
It's odd that people think that they're doing some harm to God by harming themselves with their sin.
This is June in the US, Pride Month. All around the country people are getting together in parades to shake their fist in God's face and show how strongly they reject God's word in their heart by being lifted in pride and in their bodies by burning in lust God explicitly said to not do. These people would rather die in misery by their own hand at young ages in their rebellion than submit to God and live a long, happy life.
v7a “If you are righteous, what do you give to him?...”
In the same way, doing good things doesn't really do anything for God's benefit. God is happy and rewards those who do right, but there is no direct correlation between me submitting to God and God's benefit for my submission.
v12 “There they cry out, but He does not answer, because of the pride of evil men.”
Again, Elihu hits on Job's pride, but here he's showing Job the pride in others and how just it is that God doesn't respond to proud, evil men. The subtext would be the implication that Job is also not being answered because of his pride.
Job 35 Alternate Translations & Word Studies
No significant translational differences or words to study.
Job 35 Conclusions
Elihu is discussing sin and righteousness.
God gets no benefit from our righteousness.
God isn't harmed by our sin.
God's law is for us and each other.
On the topic of justice?
People often cry out to people, not God.
Pride hinders our talking and listening to God.
Job, God is not listening to you in your pride.
Job 36 Summary
Elihu (Part 5)
Vs 1 Again, Elihu said...
Vs 2-4 I'm speaking truth.
Again, Elihu claims to be speaking God's words.
Vs 5 Power & Wisdom
God has power, and he has wisdom.
Vs 6-8 Just punishment
Job seems to be applying God's wisdom everywhere but to himself.
Vs 9-12 God is speaking
This punishment is how God speaks to people and gets them to repent.
Vs 13,14 Bitter
Bitter people don't repent but double-down.
Vs 15,16 Listen to God
Elihu is encouraging Job to listen to God speaking through his suffering because God is trying to help him.
Vs 17,18 Don't be angry.
Elihu warns Job against becoming bitter and angry at the suffering rather than learning from it.
Vs 19-21 Choose wisely
Trusting in riches and strength is useless since he's been stripped of both. The temptation based on Job's equivalency of sin and righteousness is that he might as well sin since the results are the same.
Vs 22-33 God is great.
Elihu then extols God's greatness like Job and his friends have done before. Most of this, we'll examine next week as it seem to be part of Job 37.
Highlights
v11 “If they serve and obey him, He will make them successful and they will live a happy life.”
God rewards the obedient. There IS a difference between the righteous and the unrighteous.
v14 “They will die while they are still young, like the male prostitutes.”
We'll look at this more closely in a moment.
v15 “God saves those who suffer by using their suffering. He uses their troubles to speak in a way that makes them listen.”
v23 “No one can tell him what to do. No one can say, 'God, you have done wrong.' ”
Job seems to be trying to say that very thing: 'God, you made a mistake in punishing me.'
Job 36 Alternate Translations & Word Studies.
v14 “They die in youth, And their life perisheth among the unclean.”
OR “They die in youth, and their life ends among the cult prostitutes.”
OR “They will die while they are still young, like the male prostitutes.”
“unclean” - H6945 – From H6942; a (quasi) sacred person, that is, (technically) a (male) devotee (by prostitution) to licentious idolatry
In ancient pagan cultures, the priests & priestesses would have sex with the worshippers. The priest/ess was considered an extension of the god/dess. Thus sex with the priest/ess was considered worship and communing with the god/ess. The worshipper would give a monetary donation to the temple for the privilege of sexual communion.
The most famous example of this would be priestesses of Venus, the Roman goddess of beauty.
In Job's time, the Babylonian goddess Ishtar claimed to be able to change people's genders. She was renown for craving endless sex without bearing children. Babies were believed to have been "assigned" their gender by Ishtar and thus could be reassigned through her rituals. Her holy month was the equivalent to our June.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
v18 “Because there is wrath, beware lest he take thee away with his stroke: then a great ransom cannot deliver thee.”
OR “Beware lest wrath entice you into scoffing, and let not the greatness of the ransom turn you aside.”
OR “Job, don't let your anger fill you with doubt about God. And don't let the price of forgiveness turn you away.”
OR “Be careful that no one lures you with riches; do not let a large bribe lead you astray.”
“wrath” - H2534 – From H3179; heat; figuratively anger, poison (from its fever)
For most of these verses, the question is "Whose wrath?" Job's or God's.
That certain versions ignore this word altogether makes them suspect in my mind. There's nothing in the verse or context that has anything to do with bribery. It's either talking about God being angry w Job or Job angry with God.
The money portion is either God cannot be bribed or the ransom / price of repentance is Job humbling himself before God.
Job 36 Conclusions
Elihu starts by reminding Job of God's justice.
Job and friends agreed that God is NOT just.
Bildad was espousing that “Right makes might”
While Job was espousing “Afterlife justice?”
Elihu asserts that God IS just, perfectly just.
Punishment and pain leads to Repentance.
God wants to bless you, but your pride stops him.
Listen to God: repent & live.
This week I added Job 36:14 “They will die while they are still young, like the male cult prostitutes.”
This is the first reference to male homosexuality we've had in Scripture. It's not a reference of blessing or encouragement.
Next week, we'll look at Job 37-39.
Elihu finishes speaking, and God begins talking to Job directly.
Enjoy!
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